Denver Broncos Debut Tim Tebow

Te bow, or not to Te bow? That has been the Shakespearean-like question that for some reason has been asked after the Broncos 24-17 loss in Jacksonville. Tim Tebow’s play didn’t have an effect on the outcome of the game.  

It was his homecoming game, but the NFL isn’t college anymore. Brian Dawkins and Jabar Gaffney were also coming home to a favorable Florida crowd.

Tim Tebow saw all of his action in the first half when he took two snaps and ran up the middle for a total of two yards. As the heat and humidity built, so did the crowd’s reaction when Tebow took the field on the third play of the game. Before he came in, Kyle Orton completed a 28-yard pass to Daniel Graham and then Knowshon Moreno picked up 10 yards on a run.

Tebow trotted onto the field for the first “wild-horse” formation of the regular season, prompting many to ask if this move would disrupt the brief rhythm of the Broncos offense. While the play didn’t produce as much as the previous two, it threw the Jaguars for a loop early on in the game. After Tebow’s 1-yard gain, Orton completed a 13-yard pass to Eddie Royal. A knife was put into the Broncos first drive when one of their seven penalties negated a Moreno first down run that would’ve put the Broncos within 12 yards of the goal line.

Tebow’s Hollywood story ending would not happen on this day. The script didn’t even have a chance to develop, and that’s ok because Kyle Orton has proven that he’s the QB that can lead the Broncos to victory. Even though it didn’t happen yesterday, Orton’s play kept the Broncos within constant striking distance. As the Broncos running game struggled, Orton went 21-33 for 295 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT. Blaming a loss on Orton’s interception in the final minute of the game is a place that no one should go to.

Blame is not the name of the game, and there are many areas that the Broncos need to improve upon before hosting Seattle in week 2. Much work will be put into the Broncos offensive line in terms of pass protection and blocking formations. Kickoff coverage will probably get more reps in practice this week, and an emphasis on the defense making plays will be drilled into heads.

While Seattle doesn’t have as big of a running threat that the Jags have in Maurice Jones-Drew, they are a team that can that can put points on the board through passing. Matt Hasselbeck led his team to victory over the 49ers yesterday with 2 passing TDs and 1 rushing TD.

Now the Broncos must quickly bounce back after a loss. This is something that they had trouble doing last year. They will look to break their five game losing streak that has accumulated over the course of two seasons.

To be or not to be? There is no question. The Broncos must be.

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